Thanksgiving Canada Dinner Ideas: From Turkey to Pumpkin Pie, Here Are the Best Dishes to Celebrate This Thanksgiving Day

It’s Thanksgiving in Canada and dinner ideas have already been come up with, but in case there’s last minute decision making to be made, there are some quick recipes you can make that will look and taste like you spent hours making them.

The holidays are meant to be spent with family and friends, not in the kitchen alone. Although let’s be serious—Thanksgiving in Canada is about the food as much as family.

Monday, October 10th is the big day, but many families have their dinner on Sunday, so there is still time to whip up a delicious meal.

The usual menu will be on hand for most families, because who doesn’t want Thanksgiving day to include turkey and pumpkin pie (with whipped cream of course!) for dessert. It’s a great time to celebrate family and good friends, and what’s better than doing it over a hearty meal.

Quick Recipes for a Wonderful Thanksgiving Day Meal

Pressed for time because you weren’t able to plan a meal yet? Or have you changed your mind two days before and now want to have a real Thanksgiving dinner? No problem! There’s still time to make a great meal.

First thing to do is run out and find a turkey, if that is the meat of choice for the dinner. There will likely be a few still left in grocery stores. Don’t get one that is too big if it can be helped, because it’ll take a lot longer to cook; get one that’s already buttered if you can, as it saves a step for you in preparation.

Avoid buying a pre-stuffed turkey, though, because the stuffing tacks on more cooking time. If time is a consideration, skip that step and make a stove top stuffing or one that can be done in the oven on its own.

There are boxed stuffing’s that can be bought at the grocery store that are quite good, and some even have all natural ingredients—it’s a good alternative to making it yourself.

So the turkey has been bought. Follow the instructions that come with it. Don’t forget to buy an aluminum foil pan to cook it in. Forgetting that step will cost you another trip to the store. Next on the list is to peel some potatoes for the mashed potatoes.

Brussels sprouts go exceedingly well with this kind of meal. An easy recipe for these is to slice them in half, drizzle with olive oil, add salt and pepper, and roast in the oven at 400F for about 25 minutes, turning halfway through. This can be done very close to the start of dinner being served so they stay hot.

Feel like serving a soup before the dinner? Try a butternut squash soup. Simple to make but so delicious. If you’re really pressed for time, buy a pumpkin pie and a can of real whipped cream and dinner is done. Sit down and enjoy!

Sources:

“Cook Up The Ultimate Canadian Thanksgiving Menu,” Huffington Post web site, October 6, 2016; http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/bitememorecom/canadian-thanksgiving-recipes_b_12336586.html, last accessed October 7, 2016.